Noodle Platrack Hillborne

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

I've been riding it some already but am still putting the finishing touches on the new green Hillborne. These pictures show why I would like to have a tan Sackville line.

Saddle cover by RandiJo. Bar cover from VO. Mirror is B&M from Peter White. No bell yet. The Nitto bag grip is there for when I use my SaddleSack Medium, which works quite nicely on the Mark's-Platrack combo. (Lately I've begun thinking a Large would work too!)

http://db.tt/ieE3Mv99
http://db.tt/WI0HMh4N
http://db.tt/b6uQjx0l
http://db.tt/jTJRtfDP
http://db.tt/6jTxf2zm

Yours,
Thomas Lynn Skean
who wonders when "late May" officially begins, as he awaits the Bosco bar

[Steve Palincsar]

On Sun, 2012-05-13 at 04:56 -0700, Thomas Lynn Skean wrote:
> who wonders when "late May" officially begins, as he awaits the Bosco
> bar

coincides with "start of the summer driving season"?

[Norman]

Pardon my ignorance, but what's in the bottle cage?

On May 13, 7:56 am, Thomas Lynn Skean <thomaslynnsk...@comcast.net>
wrote:

> I've been riding it some already but am still putting the finishing touches on the new green Hillborne. These pictures show why I would like to have a tan Sackville line.
>
> Saddle cover by RandiJo. Bar cover from VO. Mirror is B&M from Peter White. No bell yet. The Nitto bag grip is there for when I use my SaddleSack Medium, which works quite nicely on the Mark's-Platrack combo. (Lately I've begun thinking a Large would work too!)
>

> http://db.tt/ieE3Mv99http://db.tt/WI0HMh4Nhttp://db.tt/b6uQjx0lhttp://db.tt/jTJRtfDPhttp://db.tt/6jTxf2zm

[Way Rebb]

Nice setup! Lots of little details to ohh and ahh over. Did you make
the bracket for the light?

I've been thinking about a second Hillborne myself (maybe an
Atlantis).. A second bike to keep big racks on, ready to go, while
the current one keeps its pure roadie, but not clubby, set up.

Regards,
Ray

On May 13, 4:56 am, Thomas Lynn Skean <thomaslynnsk...@comcast.net>
wrote:

> I've been riding it some already but am still putting the finishing touches on the new green Hillborne. These pictures show why I would like to have a tan Sackville line.
>
> Saddle cover by RandiJo. Bar cover from VO. Mirror is B&M from Peter White. No bell yet. The Nitto bag grip is there for when I use my SaddleSack Medium, which works quite nicely on the Mark's-Platrack combo. (Lately I've begun thinking a Large would work too!)
>

> http://db.tt/ieE3Mv99http://db.tt/WI0HMh4Nhttp://db.tt/b6uQjx0lhttp://db.tt/jTJRtfDPhttp://db.tt/6jTxf2zm

[Zack]

bottle cage is holding an Abus lock.  it's not actually a bottle cage, it's the lock holder.

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

Precisely what he said! An Abus Granit X-Bordo 6500, to be even more precise. Remarkably useful lock.

Abus has made 75cm, 85cm, and 90cm versions of the Bordo family of llocks. I went overboard, perhaps, on getting the "Granit X" variety. But it is a Hillborne, after all!

Anyway, the caution is this... 75cm is just too short. It was always a struggle. My 85cm is just fine (and the only size Granit X). Huge diff in the real world. 90cm might be marginally better. But I would not recommend the 75cm.

Yours,
Thomas Lynn Skean

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

Well, sort of cobbled it together. Inspired by, I believe, someone on this list: Patrick Moore, maybe? Sorry if I'm misdirecting credit/blame.

I bought a section of 6mm or 1/4" thick 1" wide aluminum bar. Probably could've been 5mm or 4mm thick and still been stiff enough. I just didn't see any in my hardware store. 3mm is probably not stiff enough for my heavy battery light. Even 1/8" felt too flimsy. I drilled a hole for a 6mm screw in one corner (really close to the short edge) and a hole for a 5mm screw in the middle of short edge at the other end. Both for pass-thru; unthreaded. Through the smaller hole, I attached a Gino's mount on which is a nomal handlebar light mount. (The hole being inthreaded, i needed a nylock nut.) Through the bigger hole I attached the whole thing to the front left eyelet on my Mini rack. This gives me versatility (most any handlebar-mountable light can go there), a decent position (not *too* low and minimal wheel shadow yet still accessible while riding, if careful!), and clearance for a large-ish light below a Platrack or basket or other load.

I use and love the Ixon IQ. Its 40lux high power setting is plenty bright for me in all circumstances I encounter and it really truly goes 4+ hours on a set of 4 NiMH AA batteries. Its low setting (10 lux) has lasted more than 12 hours for me and is good enough for most of my familiar trails and roads in light-noisy areas. They claim it'll go 20 hours; I've never challenged that.

Yours,
Thomas Lynn Skean

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

I don't even have the cafe lock on yet! :)

My other Hillborne differs only in having a Nitto R-15 in the rear instead of the MarkSplat combo. Sometimes you feel like a SlickerSack, sometimes you don't. In which case I often feel like some TourSacks.

Yours,
Thomas Lynn Skean

[Mike]

On May 13, 10:41 am, Thomas Lynn Skean <thomaslynnsk...@comcast.net>
wrote:

> I use and love the Ixon IQ. Its 40lux high power setting is plenty bright for me in all circumstances I encounter and it really truly goes 4+ hours on a set of 4 NiMH AA batteries. Its low setting (10 lux) has lasted more than 12 hours for me and is good enough for most of my familiar trails and roads in light-noisy areas. They claim it'll go 20 hours; I've never challenged that.

Yes! The Ixon IQ is great. I've used it for the past couple of years
for randonneuring and have absolutely no complaints. While I've taken
the plunge and am in the process of getting a wheel built around a SON
hub I still think the Ixon is a great alternative to a generator hub.

Congats on getting your second SH on the road. I'm really liking those
green double TT SHs.

--mike

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

I'm still debating whether I'll go dyno on the Hillbornes or not. I like dyno hubs. And I certainly like the idea of limitless always-available riding light. But I also like having a light with me when riding that isn't tied to the riding itself. So I'm somewhat inclined to carry a good light filled with batteries anyway. And since many/most now work effectively on NiMH batteries, light is typically as available as you want it to be; just carry a good supply of batteries. While theoretically I am subject to a cap on the number of batteries I can carry, in practice I always have enough. I never ration light. I can still see going dyno at some point. It would be yet another rung up the ladder of Personal Independent Mobility, or whatever you call the thing that makes a Lone Wolf cyclist be a Lond Wolf.

Now... when I get my Brompton (targeting 50th B'Day in 2014), it will definitely have a dyno hub. Something about it being a neat, complete, self-contained package for night and day riding is very appealing!

Yours,
Thomas Lynn Skean